The present invention relates generally to compounds having anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and analgesic activity and methods for using these compounds to reduce inflammation, cell proliferation and pain in mammals. More specifically, the present invention relates to natural and synthetic tricarbocyclic diterpene glycosides and their seco analogs which have been found to have anti-inflammatory, anti-proliferative and analgesic activity when administered to mammals.
Caribbean gorgonians (O. Gorgonacea, Ph. Cnidaria) are a diverse group of marine mammals which are commonly known as sea feathers, sea whips and sea fans. A wide variety of Caribbean gorgonians are found in abundance in the shallow-water reefs of the West Indian region. A few of the Caribbean gorgonians have been analyzed for their chemical content and found to be a source of many diverse organic substances such as steroids, prostaglandins, lactones, sesquiterpenoid derivatives and diterpenoid metabolites. Some of these substances have been found to be biologically active.
Since only a small percentage of the total number of Caribbean gorgonian species have been examined for natural chemical products, there has been a continuing effort by a number of researchers to examine additional gorgonian species in order to isolate possible novel natural chemical compounds.
Recently, a number of selected Caribbean gorgonians were studied in depth to isolate and identify natural chemical products (Look, S. A., Studies of the Natural Products Chemistry of Selected Caribbean Gorgonians, Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, 1983). The contents of the dissertation published in connection with this study are hereby incorporated by reference. Numerous novel chemicals were isolated and identified during this study. One of the novel natural chemical compounds isolated during the study was pseudopterosin. Pseudopterosin is a tricarbocyclic diterpene glycoside having the chemical structure ##STR2##